Luigi's Dream Adventures: The Grand Return of Antasma
by JulieArchery107
Summary: After the final battle with Antasma everyone thought the bat king was no more. They couldn't be more wrong. He's alive. Planning his revenge on the twins. This time however he's going to go global. But to do that he'll need to obtain Luigi's Luiginary power. How long can he take Antasma's abuse in the dream world? Will Mario and Dreambert realize what's going on before its to late?
1. Chapter 1

"Luigi's dream adventures: The grand return of Antasma"

Chapter 1

"A sleepless hero."

 _Dreamy Luigi was on his knees, coughing instead of breathing and struggling to keep his body in this position._

 _Antasma was in a large Bowser form. Waiting for his opponent to get back up._

'Come on Luigi…' The real green plumber thought while changing his position in his bed. 'Get back up!'

 _Dreamy Luigi, hearing the original's command, nodded and began getting back to his fighting stance._

 _Antasma Bowser charged at him, sharp shell spikes longing to dig deep into his flesh._

 _Luckily the dreamy form of the green plumber was prepared for that. He pulled out his giant hammer and waited, ready to hit the running spike ball._

 _When the large koopa was close enough he swung his weapon of choice expecting a loud "WAM!" and Bowser flying towards the background._

 _What happened was nothing he expected._

 _The hammer went through the king's large body as if it was a hologram._

 _Dreamy Luigi managed to wide his eyes is pure shock and horrific realization before Bowser's spiky shell made contact with his body._

'No…NONONONONO!…This can't be happening! Not again!' Luigi cried in his sleep as he watched with the eyes of his dreamy self, as the world moved in hyper speed as he flew towards the mountain behind him, felt pain all over his back as he crushed into it and tasted blood and bits of powdered rock as he struggled to breathe.

 _Dreamy Luigi groaned and tried to push himself up. 'Get up you pathetic fool! Get the hell up!'_

 _Coughing violently he managed to bring himself to a one knee stand, with one hand hugging his hurting torso and the other supporting his weight on the ground._

 _"D-Damn y-you A-Antas-." He started but was cut off by another series of extra violent coughs which he had to release into his left glove. Once he was sure he finished he pulled the hand back only to get freaked out by the amount of blood it was covered in. Shaking his head he tried again: "D-Damn y-you t-to t-the d-deepest r-realm o-of t-the u-underworld."_

 _"Aw is this really what you think of me Luigi?" Antasma laughed. "By the way Greene, where is your precious big bro?" Bowser's lips stretched into a grin. "Isn't this the moment you need him most?"_

 _But the always present red plumber was nowhere to be seen or heard. And Dreamy Luigi wouldn't want it any other way for a specific reason._

 _"GWAHAHAHAHA!" The koopa king's diabolical laugh send chills down both Dreamy Luigi's and the original Luigi's backs, making them jump and face the slightly larger lizard king. "Not so brave without your precious Mario now are you Dreamy Luigi?"_

'Don't listen to him…just don't listen to him' Luigi chanted while pushing his characteristic green cap further over his eyes in pure fear. 'Don't let him get to you.' Now the poor plumber was now squeezing his small cap that under his gloves, his knuckles turned white.

 _Dreamy Luigi just glared at the evil mastermind as he, with all the strength he had left, pushed himself to a standing position despite his body's painful protests._

 _"Still standing eh?" Bowser smirked. "I have to tell you Luigi you are far more entertaining than that weakling-of-a-brother you have. He wouldn't survive that hit no matter the experience." Still smirking he started walking up to the barely standing green hero._

 _"He…is...not…a…weakling!" Dreamy Luigi had trouble breathing, not to mention talking. Everything he said was barely above a whisper, but it was loud enough for Bowser to hear and laugh at._

 _"Don't make me laugh. Don't you recall every time he left you at home just because he wanted Princess Peach to notice him?" That was a low blow and the not real koopa king knew it._

 _The green plumber pushed himself up only to fall back down._

 _"You're weakening Dreamy Luigi." Antasma said gleefully as the dreamy incarnation of the green bro felt his strength slowly leaving him. "And I have to tell you, your power is delicious."_

 _Yes you heard right. After the plumber brother's last battle with Antasma in the dream world the king of bats was feared dead. But that was beyond true. A tiny bit of Antasma's essence survived the battle and managed to get into Luigi's dream. Using the last bit of his power he managed to cast a spell that slowly drains Dreamy Luigi's life source and power in order to become the most powerful villain Mario and his younger brother ever encountered._

 _Seeing that Luigi possesses powers even Dreambert said were legendary, Antasma chose him over super Mario. Once he gets the last bit of the green plumbers powerful Luiginary he'll start going global. Overpowering everyone he catches while asleep and making sure they never wake up._

 _That's why he attacks Dreamy Luigi whenever the real one goes to sleep. Beating the green out of him while also slowly draining him from his life source, trying to cripple his body so he won't get up._

 _Which is why the younger plumber is in such a bad shape right now._

 _But it wasn't always like that._

 _At the beginning Dreamy Luigi was in control of his dream, giving Antasma very little chances to survive an encounter with him, in which the villain used defense tactics to avoid everything the green plumber threw at him, until he awoke and left to the real world._

 _But as the battles grew frequent the king of bats, boosted by the power he stole from Luigi, began turning the steering wheel to his favor._

 _No longer avoiding, only striking back with double the power he had when the twins were fighting against him together._

 _Every night Dreamy Luigi became weaker and weaker up to a point where he no longer had a grasp on what's happening in his own domain. Antasma used his fear of Bowser and King Boo against him by taking their form and using their signature moves. And, at nights where he felt real cruel, he turns himself into Giant Mario._

 _In order for the king of bats to not be victorious Dreamy Luigi must withstand his attacks till he wakes up, if he doesn't Antasma will just kill him. And if he dies here, he dies in the real world._

 _Dreamy Luigi looked up at the monster that has been torturing him for almost a whole month. "I…will…stop…you…Antasma." He growled. But it sounded so pathetically weak the king of all bats just laughed._

 _"Oh really? And how are you going to that hmm?" Bowser Antasma pulled his giant fist back. "You don't have enough power left in you to do that my boy. Plus let's not forget what will happen to that bunch of weaklings you call friends if you let them join the party." Before Dreamy Luigi had time to react the fist was already crushing his nose into a bloody pulp. The world began pining once he crashed to yet another mountain._

 _It almost hurt to open his eyes. He tasted blood in his mouth and he couldn't breathe with his nose anymore._

 _You may be wondering why Mario isn't fighting alongside his brother. Well it's because if he, or anyone else, enters Luigi's cursed dream Antasma will send mini versions of himself into their dreams and give them the same kind of punishment he delivers Luigi. The green plumber doesn't want that to happen because they don't have that kind of power he possesses. They wouldn't be able to protect themselves from his attacks._

 _That's why he never told Mario about his nightmares. Even when Dreambert asked him if he's okay he denied._

 _Suddenly he felt his body being jerked upwards._

 _"Sorry Luigi but I'd like to cut this meeting short." Then he suddenly feet burning all over his overalls._

 _He tried to scream but all he succeeded in doing was getting the insides of his mouth burned._

 _He was in lava._

 _"Bye bye Weegee." And the world turned bright with sunlight._


	2. Chapter 2

"Luigi's dream adventures: Antasma's grand return."

Chapter 2

"Dreambert's invitation."

Luigi jerked awake finding himself in his room filled with nothing but darkness. His face was covered in sweat and he was breathing heavily.

'It was all just a dream.' He thought closing his eyes and trying to calm down his frightened body. His nose wasn't responding to any of his commands and his mouth still slightly burned.

He sighted. After effects of experiencing too much pain in the dream world.

Groaning at the darkness that was surrounding him he reached out to turn on the lamp on the nightstand, since he's definitely not going back to sleep this night.

Unfortunately…someone beat him to it.

The blinding light came in so fast he wasn't prepared. Hiding his vision from the brightness with his hand he cricked one eye open to see his, one and only, big brother Mario.

And the red plumber looked anything but amused.

The green plumber cursed himself silently. He noticed.

"Are you all right Weegee?" The red plumber asked placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You've been trashing in your bed all night and you look as if you were beaten up by Bowser himself." The green plumber was about to respond but the older brother wasn't finished yet. "And don't try lieing to me this time Weegee. I've put up with your lies for far too long." Mario's voice grew harsher for the last sentence. "Luigi what's going on?"

But the younger just pushed his hand off looking away.

He wished he could tell him, but he knows what will happen when he does.

Mario will grow angry and overprotective, demand to be let inside his dream to put Antasma in his place.

And that's one thing he couldn't let happen.

He'd rather let Antasma kill him first.

"I'm fine Mario." He said annoyed as he picked himself up from his bed. "It was just a stupid nightmare so why make such a big fuss about it? I have those all the time since I saved you from King Boo for the first time. This one's no different."

He pushed past his older brother and slowly made his way towards the bathroom but Mario wasn't having any of it. He grabbed Luigi's wrist in his infamous iron grip, refusing to let go.

"This one's IS different Luigi!" Mario yelled grabbing the younger ones shoulder. "No other dream made you choke and grip your neck as if you were thrown in lava!"

Luigi cured himself again. Next time he's going to stuff something in his mouth to shut away he's screaming. He'd do _anything_ to prevent Mario from getting inside his head. Even if that means cutting of air support.

"Mario it's just my brain's a stupid attempt to scare me." He growled trying to find something to change the topic. He didn't have to search for long, because the doorbell downstairs rang.

The older brother cursed and let go of Luigi's wrist. "This conversation isn't over Luigi." He growled while angrily stomping down the stairs.

When he was already down there the green clad plumber breathed out a sigh of relief. Whoever that is it, he just owes that person for saving Mario's life, because if he/she didn't ring on that doorbell…all he endured in the dream world would go to hell.

'Well…' He thought stretching his sore-from-dream-fight limbs. 'Better get cleaned up before that "someone" starts asking for the "green Mario"'.

#Five minutes later#

The feeling of hot water hitting his sore skin was like getting a kiss from Daisy. It just felt too good to be true.

Luigi always knew water in the Mushroom kingdom had some kind of magical powers. It could take away all the world's problems and wash them down the sewer pipes, leaving you as careless as a newborn Yoshi.

To him a shower was like a ten minute trip to heaven.

It almost pained him every time he had to leave his little paradise.

'Oh well.' He though putting on his green sweater. 'The world isn't gonna save itself now will it?'

He then gave the bathroom a last glance then proceeded with his trip downstairs.

By the time he reached the kitchen Mario was already chewing on his toast with peanut butter and strawberry jelly, reading some kind of paper.

Shaking his head the green clad hero walked up to the cupboard and pulled out a bowl. He didn't feel like eating toasts and the thought of having pasta just didn't set well with his stomach.

So he settled with some cereal instead.

After their resent "argument", if you can call it that, Luigi was okay with leaving the elder to himself and eating alone in the living room.

They both have much to think about. Especially Luigi.

But Mario stopped him from getting anyway near the door with a single sentence. "Dreambert invited us to the Pi'illo kingdom to celebrate the first anniversary of Antasma's permanent downfall that occurs in two days."

Luigi almost dropped the bowl.

Being around Dreambert and that kingdom was the last thing he wanted to do right now.

Not only will Antasma speed up the progress of his plan feeling the presence of his greatest enemy nearby but Mario might ask the young prince if he could help him enter Luigi's dream world.

Antasma's punishment is already hard enough to deal with. What will happen when he'll go all berserk just to get to Dreambert? Will he be strong enough to pull through and stop him from succeeding?

Luigi tried to look at everything positively but all his mind had to say as an answer to the last question is:

 **No.**

"He even mentions that everyone who ever fought with us in the brawl will also be there. That includes Sonic, Kirby, Seamus, Fox, Ness, the villager, Link and probably even MewTwo if he isn't too busy playing "Drama queen" in the Pokémon universe." Mario's voice pulled the green plumber out of the dark thoughts.

Luigi knew how much his big brother wanted to proof Sonic he's the better fighter and to see all his friends again but he needed to at least try avoiding it.

"Listen Mario…I haven't been feeling to well lately and-" But he was cut off by Mario.

"And that's precisely why we're going Weegee." The red hero said determinated. "If I can't find out what's going in that head of yours when you're asleep then maybe Dreambert will."

When those words left Mario's mouth Luigi felt as if he just signed the death sentence for everyone in that kingdom.

And he could do nothing to stop it.

JJJ15: Okay this chap might be crappy but the next one will be better I promise. And don't worry Sonar. I have a plan so just chill and wait for the big reveal ;-)


	3. Chapter 3

_"Luigi's Dream Adventures: Antasma's grand return."_

 _Chapter 3_

 _"In the web of self doubt."_

 _When he woke up all he saw was darkness._

 _Any other time his heart would be pumping like crazy the moment he realizes he isn't in his own room and that Mario won't be there to help him._

 _But by the fifth battle with Antasma he already got used to waking up this way._

 _After all it didn't take long for the nightmare king to figure out what his biggest fears are, them mainly being loneliness and, of course, the fear of never ending darkness._

 _It was no use in scaring Luigi with visions of everybody vanishing or leaving him alone. Having spent half of his life that way, the green Mario bro almost didn't have a problem with it anymore._

 _The younger can't say his situation with his brother didn't improve after he saved him from King Boo the second time. Mario realized he's not invincible and became more like the brother Luigi remembered from his childhood memories, overprotective and kind, instead of being an insensitive jerk all the time._

 _Even after countless wakeup calls like this one Luigi still worried. After all it was in his nature to be the smarter and more cautious one of the Mario bros._

 _Mario once even went and joked that he was practically born worried._

 _True, he may not be as strong and brave as his red brother is, but at least he knows characteristic features like that have both "good" and "bad" sides, unlike the older plumber._

 _For example, being to brave and cocky can bring you enemies you would never want to fight, such as Bowser, Flawful, Antasma, Count Bleck, Tatanga and the list goes on._

 _And Luigi has to admit, though Mario is the older brother, he isn't exactly the sharpest tool in the box._

 _If he was in the red plumbers place, he'd give Peach extra protection after the second or third kidnapping instead of just letting her get taken by Bowser._

 _But when he suggested that to his older bro, all Mario said was that he liked the smell of battle and that this is more fun than having a peace trinity._

 _Before he was able to think about it more, a high pitched laugh brought him back to the present._

 _For a minute the green plumber saw nothing but blackness, then a white light lit up the place, causing him to close his eyes to avoid going blind._

 _"Welcome, welcome Luigi." The younger Mario bro cursed under his breath after recognizing the voice. "Still afraid of the dark I see?"_

 _Luigi chuckled dryly. "What can I say?" He picked his head up to make eye contact with the nightmare incarnation of Antasma before him. "Old habits die hard." In response the monster started laughing making him cringe._

 _There stood a giant Flawful-spider._

 _It had long slender legs placed carefully on a large web and a giant head that had the beanbean villain's face on it. Still laughing, still smiling._

 _Three things the green plumber despised, together at last._

 _Two of his brother's more crazy villains and spiders._

 _"Well I have to tell you Weegee." Flawful-Antasma said once he stopped laughing. "I absolutely hate it when I have to eat my meal without any visible entertainment." He then started to make his way towards the green plumber._

 _And that's when Luigi realized…_

 _He couldn't move. Immediately his heart began beating faster._

 _Flawful-Antasma's web hold him down tightly and he lost control over his dreams a long time ago._

 _"And wouldn't you know it." Antasma laughed with Flawful's insane laughter, sending shivers down the green plumber's back. "It's almost dinner time."_

 _Closing his eyes Luigi tried to convince his brain that this is not real._

 _Even when he knew he's practically lieing to himself, it was worth a try._

 _It worked in movies._

 _Of course that's not easy once you realize you're about to be eaten by an enormous spider._

 _After a minute he could feel Antasma's breath on his face. "And you look absolutely…delicious." He whispered into Luigi's ear, making the hero's back straighten trying to get free from the restrains._

 _The green plumber had to bite his tongue in order not to scream. It was getting hard to keep calm with Antasma being so close and him being so desperately helpless._

 _"Come on Weegee." Luigi whispered to himself, squeezing his blue eyes shut. "Panicking won't do you any good." Whimpering he tried to move away, once he felt Flawful-Antasma's wet, rough tongue lick his right ear lobe. "Remember…the longer you're alive the longer-" Another lick, this time on the cheek, caused the green plumber to gulp. "The longer the rest of the universe lives."_

 _"Ah using the "desperate survival" tactic eh?" The spider hissed somewhere above Luigi's head. "Tell me dear Weegee. Why do you sacrifice yourself so much right now?"_

 _The green hero didn't bother answering._

 _"Wouldn't it be better for you to simply give up trying to stop the inevitable?"_

 _Luigi kept his mouth shut, concentrated on the sound of his own heart beat...didn't want to listen…_

 _"What are you trying to accomplish by all this? In the end all these noble efforts will be in vein. You and I both know that Luigi." Antasma spoke in the gentle voice of a knowing parent talking to a naughty child._

 _The younger plumber wished he had the power of ignorance his brother had. Then he wouldn't have to listen to Antasma's bullshit._

 _"I can end this quickly and painlessly." The bat king purred into Luigi's ear while running a sharp ended spider leg across his unprotected neck. "Everything will be over in a blink of an eye. You won't have to suffer for a lost cause anymore…"_

 _For a couple of seconds…the green hero actually considered that option._

 _He knew Antasma was right…he couldn't stop him from taking over his Luiginary powers…he can't stop him from killing him and everyone else in their sleep…_

 _He knew Mario could if he was in his situation._

 _But he isn't. And even if his big brother was here in the dream along with him, he wouldn't be able to withstand Antasma's attacks._

 _Hell, Dreamy Luigi at full power would have problems with surviving those._

 _And another thing was…Mario had something to live for._

 _He had Peach, who always bakes him cake and welcomed him with a kiss and a warm hug after a battle with Bowser._

 _He had a bunch of fans, just waiting to cheer for him whenever they see him._

 _He had powerful friends from other dimensions like Sonic, Link, Captain Falcon, Kirby and Megaman._

 _He is feared by many villains across dimensions like Gannon, Robotnic and Willy._

 _He had everything a hero should have._

 _Luigi on the other hand…did not._

 _After the first week of fighting Antasma, Daisy grew tired of him being all secretive with why he appeared half asleep on their dates every day so they both decided it would be best if they placed their relationship on hold._

 _The green plumber didn't argue mostly because he wanted to protect her, which only angered the sand princess even more._

 _He even heard rumors saying that she started dating Waluigi._

 _As for fans…he had close to none. Most toads like his older brother more._

 _The main leads from other games don't really treat him as an equal. Maybe with the exception of Link and Sonic._

 _The most Bowser thinks of him is an annoyance instead of a real opponent, while the others view him as nothing more than his big brother's longer, lamer, green shadow._

 _In other words, the world wouldn't change a bit if he didn't wake up one day._

 _Mario will still be the greatest hero the Mushroom kingdom has to offer, Peach won't stop baking him delicious strawberry cake, Bowser won't remember his name and Daisy will continue dating Waluigi._

 _Luigi let out a giant, defeated sight and hung his head helplessly._

 _"Ah finally realizing the painful truth eh?" Antasma snickered in front of him. "Don't worry." He said pulling his claw-leg back for a clean slice. "You won't even feel it."_

 _But before he was able to slice the green hero's throat open, time stopped._

 _Luigi opened his eyes, confused. Shouldn't he be dead, or at least dyeing?_

 _'Do not give up Luigi.' A strong jet female voice said from all around him._

 _The green plumber blinked his baby blue eyes. "Rosalina?"_

 _'Wake up Luigi.' The voice turned softer. 'There is a way to stop Antasma.'_

 _"Huh? W-What? How?"_

 _'You will know when the time comes my brave, young hero. Now wake up.' The voice began to fade, so did the dream world._

 _"Rosalina w-wait!" But she was gone. So where the web and Flawful-Antasma._

 _He was waking up._


	4. Chapter 4

"Luigi's Dream Adventures: Antasma's grand return."

Chapter 4

"Speed is the answer." Or "A flashback talk with Sonic."

"Luigi…hey Luigi wake up!" Mario yelled shaking his younger brother awake while fighting with his seatbelt that was rudely holding him down.

A few minutes ago his headphones were yanked off by the green plumber's waving hands. He was mumbling stuff in his sleep and he didn't seem to admire his dream at all. In fact he looked quite frightened.

"Remember…the longer you're alive…the longer…(shudders)…the universe lives…" Luigi whispered, completely oblivious to his big bro's attempts to wake him.

"LUIGI!" Mario yelled, now even more worried. A few heads turned in the plain, wondering what's going on but the elder brother didn't have time to bother with them.

Something was definitely wrong with his little brother.

He couldn't deny that any longer.

 _The faster we get to the Pi'illo Islands._ He thought, sending a glare towards the stewardess that spoke to him in Spanish. _The better_.

"Wha-what?" Luigi finally awoke after ten more minutes of nothing but shouting and shaking, flattering his eyes. "Mario? What happened? And…where are we?" He asked looking around utterly confused.

When he saw that, Mario breathed a sigh of relief, Luigi was awake…thank god.

Then a large knot of worry began to tie his insides once he realized that it took him double the effort to wake him up this time.

And that definitely wasn't a good sign.

"Luigi we're on a plane to Pi'illo Island." He answered putting his headphones back on. "And you had a nightmare."

In case you're wondering, yes he's IS still angry that Luigi didn't tell him any details about his dreams when he asked him to. They are brothers for God's sake! TWINS to be exact! In the internet he read that twins are supposed to have a special bond with each other. Documentary's, he watched on TV, went on and on about random twins being able to tell what the other was thinking while being separated in different rooms.

Why doesn't _he_ have the ability to read Luigi's thoughts?!

And, ignoring that matter, why doesn't his little brother _trust_ him?

Luigi never had trust issues before!

And don't think he didn't notice how much the green plumber changed during those past few weeks.

When they were little Luigi was an _open book._ You could tell _exactly_ what he was thinking or feeling.

Now…you can look strait at him and have _no_ idea what's going on in his head.

On most adventures Luigi was scared of every enemy he had to face, not being a fan of receiving a beating.

Now…he isn't afraid any more. I wouldn't bother Mario so much if he didn't act as if he saw worse!

Even giant Bowser didn't leave the same impression as before.

And the small wounds that appeared after every single nightmare.

At first Mario thought that the younger hero just scratched himself while wiggling in his sleep.

The problem was…that they were getting bigger.

And the weirdest fact was that, after a nightmare, Luigi always appeared…tired and…sleepy. As if he didn't sleep at all.

So until his little bro tells him _exactly_ what's going on in his dreams, he's getting Mr. Mario's legendary cold shoulder.

"Oh…" Luigi said rubbing his eyes. _God my eyeballs sting._ He thought. "No need to be rude." He narrowed his sleepy eyes at his big bro. God he was tired.

No matter how much time he spent on sleeping, all the energy it gives him is wasted on activating Dreamy Luigi every single night and healing him during daytime.

It also made him forget important and obvious things like…the fact that he's in a plain.

Seriously? Weren't the turbulences a big give away?

That single fact resulted in him starting to drink coffee, which he despised because of the fact that Sonic, one of his closest friends, is addicted to it, in order to stay awake and focused the whole day.

Thinking about the speedy hedgehog…

"Will Sonic and Tails be there?" He asked turning to Mario who was listening to "Heroes" through his headphones.

And _how_ did Luigi know that? Why, his older brother made the music so loud it was impossible not to!

"Hey!" He yelled pulling the headphones of. "Hey Mario!"

"Hey!" Mario yelled angrily. "That's my favorite song!"

"You can listen to it later." Luigi rubbed his temples. "I asked you a question and you didn't answer."

"Well couldn't this question wait till the song is over?!"

"No. It will be better if I know now."

"Oh yeah?! What's the difference between now and later?!"

"That way I won't have to pull you out of your "musical paradise" when "Chasing the sun" is on."

The red hero blinked, dazzled. "Oh…uh…okay." A minute of silence. "So…what's the question?"

"Actually I have two. One: Will Sonic and Tails be on the Island? And two: How long is this flight?"

Mario narrowed his eyes. "Luigi I told you in the morning that _everyone_ will be at the anniversary and that includes Sonic and his team. And to answer your second question: The captain said it will be about six more hours till we land so you better get occupied." He added getting back to his little world of music.

Luigi growled softly at his older brother.

What was his _problem_ today?

He was all grumpy ever since their conversation in the kitchen.

Luigi huffed.

Mario treated himself as the "more mature JumpMan brother" jet he couldn't figure out that Luigi, by not telling him anything, was _desperately_ trying to protect him?

Then he sighted in soft defeat. Mario will never use his brain more than his tongue so why bother?

Well the flight did take longer than a good movie and he definitely isn't going back to sleep…better for him to keep himself occupied till the flight was over.

Turning away from his older bro he looked out the small airplane window.

Nothing but the blue sky and white clouds.

 _Thinking about blue…_ and just like that Luigi drifted into a flashback.

#flashback #

 _"I'm telling you Weegee." Sonic said chewing on his chilly dog. "You're way too timid. You gotta stand up for yourself more." The blue version of Shadow placed a buck on the table and immediately got another chilly dog._

 _Luigi sighted._

 _He got dumped at home by Mario again and while the red clad brother went on to save princess Peach on jet another adventure, he was left to clean the home. Devastated and hurt the younger picked up the phone and called Sonic so they can meet in the blue race-ball's favorite spot-The chilly dog stand._

 _"Yeah I know, it's just that…I don't want to make Mario angry." He answered honestly scratching behind his neck. "He's scary when he's angry." He added hunching down a little._

 _Sonic sighted. He knew that the green clad plumber got way less credit than he deserved._

 _Sure, he was a bit of a coward but he could be brave when the situation called for it._

 _The problem was…it almost never_ did _call for it, so Luigi didn't even get a chance to become a famous hero and overcome his fears._

 _Leaving the younger man feel useless compared to his older, more famous brother._

 _But to the blue speedy he wasn't useless. He was a great friend who just needed a little push._

 _"You can't always listen to him you know. I mean, I get the fact that he's your big bro and big brother's usually do thing for the good of the younger but…dude. What he's doing to you now is not looking after you! It's limiting your freedom!" And that's exactly why Sonic didn't like the red plumber. For his cruelty towards his younger sibling._

 _Again all Luigi did was sight. "I know." He whispered quietly._

 _"Then why do you let him?"_

 _"I…don't know."_

 _The blue hedgehog snorted before stuffing his face with two chilly dogs._

 _"If I were you (chew, swallow, munch) I'd pick him up by his collar and drag him (munch, swallow, chew), face down, through the longest kart stage (chew, munch, swallow) he has while running at top speed."_

 _This time Luigi chuckled. "Running and speed are always the answer for you aren't they?" He added with a smile._

 _"You said it buddy." Sonic smiled back giving his pal one of his chilly dogs. "Speed is ALWAYS the answer."_

 _#End of flashback#_

Luigi smiled at his vision.

"Speed is always the answer huh?" He thought for a moment. Rosalina _did_ say he'll know the way to defeat Antasma when the time comes… "We'll see about that."

He definitely needed to talk to his blue friend after they land, to ask for a few pointers.

But right now all he said was:

"Stewardess!"

"Yes?" A young toad lady walked up to him with a wide grin.

"I'd like a chilly dog please. Extra spicy."


	5. Chapter 5

"Luigi's Dream Adventures: Antasma's grand return."

Chapter 5

"Suspicion."

Time went by faster after the plane finally landed.

Luigi smiled at that. It felt as if the universe itself was giving him the signal that the plan he was going to use tonight, was going to work.

Both brothers exited their seats along with the many toads ad neutral goomba's and koopa's, and headed out to search for the Prince himself, Dreambert, in order to get to their final destination.

After a minute of looking around they finally spotted the floating, red figure of their dear friend.

"Ah! Sir Mario! Sir Luigi!" The young ruler beamed, when he spotted them. "Welcome! Welcome back to the Pi'illo Iceland!" Dreambert smiled wildly as he shook hands with both brothers.

"It's good to see you to Dreambert." The green hero smiled brightly at his friend, earning one back and a raised eyebrow. Ignoring the latter Luigi took a deep breath of the fresh air on the Iceland. "Ah it sure is good to be back."

Dreambert grinned hearing that, happy that even after everything they've been through, they still were willing to comeback.

"My kingdom is growing in power since the death of its greatest enemy." The young prince said, swelling with pride. "And it was all thanks to the both of you. I will never be thankful enough for your help." He added bowing to the two plumbers.

Luigi blushed while Mario simply waved the prince of. "It was nothing Dreambert. We just did our job."

During the ride to the palace Luigi couldn't help but watch in amazement, on just how much the Iceland changed during this past year.

The places that were empty almost twelve months ago were now filled with houses, shops, playgrounds and schools. Everything clothed in serpentines in the color of the fallen enemy, only for the decorations to be burned along with the memory of Antasma, after the celebration.

Even the once ghostly looking Centre was filled with carnival carts and circus tents.

Along the road they were riding a bunch of citizens were standing, waving red and green flags and cheering for them as they passed by, making the younger JumpMan brother feel confused about how to feel about the situation.

On one side, he was happy to finally get the attention he deserved.

It wasn't very often that he heard somebody yell his name in admiration, without Mario reminding everybody that it wasn't "Green Mario".

It felt almost…surreal, to the green clad hero and he wanted, with all his heart, to make the most of it.

But on the other hand, he knew he shouldn't _be_ here.

That, right now, he should be locked up in a high security prison, with magical blocks placed on his mind and on constant watch by E. Gadd's machines. All that placed 45 feet underground.

That would be the logical thing to do.

But instead, he was practically giving them a more powerful Antasma as a gift present. And on such a celebration too…

Luigi felt depression and guilt coming back to plague his mind again but he shook his head strongly, reminding himself that he had a plan on how to defeat that bat.

 _There won't be any more comebacks this time Antasma_. He thought, determinated. _Because you can be sure as hell, that I won't be going easy on you._

"Is something the matter, Sir Luigi?" Dreambert's voice pulled him out of his thoughts. Once he turned away from the window to face the prince, he realized that his pillow friend was looking at him with a concerned expression on his face.

"Huh? N-No." Luigi blurred, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "W-Why do you ask?"

"Well for starters, there's a disturbance in your dream aura." The prince stated, narrowing his eyes. "Have you been suffering from nightmares during those past days, Sir Luigi?" At that last sentence the green plumber felt as if his whole life decided to "fuck it" and crumble to Hell.

Not exactly knowing what else to do, he decided to make a blind jump into the unknown.

He answered truthfully.

"Y-You can say that." Somehow, no matter what he told himself in his head, he couldn't stop his voice from slightly shaking. "I-I's that…bad?"

As if seeing his friend's distress, Dreambert smiled comfortingly. "Not at all, my friend."

"R-Really?" Luigi asked, unsure.

"Of course." The Pi'illo prince laughed, placing a hand on Luigi's shoulder. "Even I sometimes have to face the darker side of my mind." He added, patting the young plumber in a comforting matter.

"W-Well…" Luigi mentally sighted in relief. "I-If that's okay, then…why did you ask?"

Dreambert sighted. "Ever since that…incident, every change in a citizen's dream aura has to be monitored. Antasma was just one of my kingdom's enemies and I don't want the same history happen to my land again."

Luigi knew exactly what the young prince felt.

He felt the same way about the Mushroom kingdom and Bowser.

If it was up to him, he'd end this madness a long time ago.

Unfortunately…it's up to his adventure-loving brother.

"Though I have to admit." The prince once again, pulled him out his thoughts. "The disturbance in your dream aura is pretty strong." He placed a gloved hand on Luigi's forehead. "Are you sure, you don't want me to enter your mindscape and calm it down?"

Growling mentally at the idea, Luigi gently took the hand of his head. "Yes Prince, I'm sure." He brought out what was left of his almost nonexistent confidence and placed it in his next words. "Besides, it's nothing the mighty, powerful Dreamy Luigi can't handle, now is it?" To give his words a better effect, he smiled cockily.

Dreambert didn't seem fooled by the green plumber's act at all and was about to question the matter further, if it wasn't for a certain blue hedgehog knocking on the window.

"About time you guys arrived!" He smiled. "The rest is already here!"

"Sonic!" Before the prince could stop him, Luigi bottled out the car to greet his best friend. "Boy am I glad to see you, you Speedy Gonzales wannabe, you!" The green plumber and the blue hedgehog hi-fived.

"Right back at you, _Green Thunder_." Sonic answered, winkling at Luigi who punched him playfully in the arm. "Oh Hello to you to, Mario." He said to the distracted red hero.

"Hmm?" The older JumpMan, blinked not realizing what was going around him. "Oh! Hi Sonic, long time no see." He chuckled nervously, rubbing his neck in a fashion similar to that of his little brothers.

The blue speedster raised an eyebrow at him. "You okay Mario?" He asked, cocking his head to the side. "You seem awfully distracted today."

"S-Sorry about that." The lasagna-loving plumber answered, sounding a lot like a copy of Luigi. Again. "I just have a lot of things on my mind lately, that's all."

Sonic nodded and turned his attention back to his green friend. "Well now that you're here, we better go find Link and Kirby."

"Really?" The green hero asked. "What for?"

"They said they wanted to talk to you the minute you arrive." He leaned closer. "I heard, hey want to give you a present." He whispered.

"Really?" Luigi echoed, blushing. "For what? I didn't do anything worth a present."

"Come on Weegee." Sonic placed a hand on his back, as he led his friend away from the car. "You're being _far_ too modest. You need to loosen up a bit, you know? Be like Samus. Calm and collected, no matter what. BTW did you hear what she did to the Villager, for getting dirt on her suit?"

At that moment they were too far for either Mario or Dreambert, to hear the rest of the story.

The elder hero narrowed his eyes at his brother's back.

 _What are you hiding Luigi?_ He thought.

Promising he'll figure it out, he made a move to leave the car as well but Dreambert's hand stopped him.

"There's something wrong with Sir Luigi." The once cheerful prince, said in a hollow voice.

Mario sighted. "You feel that to, don't you?"

"Correct, Sir Mario." Dreambert nodded gravely, locking his eyes with the hero's blue orbs. "And I fear the problem is more about his Dream World, than the outside one."

Mario's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

"When I touched Sir Luigi's forehead, I got a small glimpse into his Dream World. It wasn't much since…well…he pushed me out before I could get a better look." He paused. "It seems that…that…" The child-looking prince looked as if he couldn't end the sentence. And it would have stayed that way, if it wasn't for Mario's over-protectiveness, kicking in.

"Seems that, WHAT?!" The red hero yelled.

"Dreamy Luigi is dying." Dreambert whispered, eyes not looking at the older hero.

The car was silent after that.


	6. Chapter 6

"Luigi's Dream Adventures: Antasma's grand return."

Chapter 6

"The problems of Super Mario."

Mario's eyes widened as he backed away from his friend.

"What-What do you mean: 'Dreamy Luigi is dyeing'?" He blurred out.

"Mario-"

"That's-That's impossible." The red clad hero was entering a stage of panic, he wasn't able to control. "Dreamy Luigi is an entity created by my little brother's imagination. He can't really exist, let alone be able to die."

"Mario-"

"You're lieing!" The hero yelled, grabbing the prince's collar and shaking it. "I've seen Dreamy, and, you said so yourself, he's the most powerful user of the Luiginary power! There is _nothing_ in this, or any other, world that can stop him! Even Giant Bowser and Final Antasma were powerless against his strength!"

"Mario, please-"

"No! I don't believe you! I _won't_ believe you!" The furious, red wearing hero yelled. "My little brother is _not_ dyeing!" Mario growled, throwing the prince against the seat. "What you saw was his _nightmare_! A, frigging, _nightmare_! A lousy excuse for a _fantasy_ created by his stress-filled brain, because he worries so much about _me_!" Mario then pointed an accusing finger at the prince. "And the first person who thinks otherwise, will have a knuckle sandwich to chew on, served by yours truly! UNDERSTAND?!"

Dreambert rubbed his aching neck. He didn't know Mario is so sensitive when it came to his younger sibling's wellbeing. Though he probably should have seen it coming, the red clad plumber was renowned for being overprotective towards the people he cared for.

Seeing that the poor hero was in much stress himself, he decided to take the peaceful rout and try to calm him down.

"Mario Sir, I understand your…disbelief." He stated calmly, withstanding the angry glare he send him. "But-"

"Are you indicating that I disregarded my responsibilities, as an older brother?" Mario didn't yell that, he simply asked it in a tone, most criminals use when there trying to scare the hell out of a victim.

A mere second later, Dreambert found himself pressed against a car seat by Mushroom kingdoms, mightiest hero, with his arm pressing on his neck.

"If there is one thing, ONE THING that I could lay down my _life_ to prevent from happening, it's Luigi getting hurt." Mario said in an anger-filled tone. "I may have been a jerk to him half his life, I may have left him behind on more occasions than I care to admit." He stopped the rant for a mere minute before continuing. "But I would never _ever_ let anyone hurt my baby brother!" Mario pressed his arm harder on Dreambert's neck, making the poor ruler choke and start clawing the stronger limb with his own hands.

The prince knew the aggression came from the fact that the elder JumpMan brother, was in much more stress than he let on. Finding out the person he swore to protect was getting hurt right under his nose and not being able to do anything about it, must have been the last push. Reaching out a hand, he tried touching the man's forehead and see what was going on beneath that red cap of his.

To fix Luigi he must first get the elder to listen to him, which didn't seem to be happening right now.

Mario yelped as his own nightmares began appearing before his very eyes like recordings on tapes, while Dreambert couldn't be more confused. The nightmares showed the red clad hero standing on the altar along with Peach.

The Pi'illo prince frowned. It was a well-known fact that the elder JumpMan was in love with the princess, and that the said royalty loved him back. So…shouldn't getting married with the girl he loved, be one of Mario's good dreams?

Before he could ponder about that some more, the stronger male was able to push him out by jumping back to his seat, breathing heavily and glaring at the prince.

Dreambert sighted, he knew Mario figured he saw that nightmare as well. The question is, why was something considered to be such a happy ceremony a bad dream?

"Mario, why are you so afraid of that dream?" He asked gently, siting up from his half-lieing, half-siting position.

"Because everybody is pushing me towards it!" The red hero yelled. "I can't stand it anymore! Ever since the fact that I love Peach reached daylight, everyone's been trying to make me propose already! Even Toadsworth and Peach herself! Everywhere I go all I hear is 'Mario why didn't you marry Peach yet?', 'Mario when's the wedding?' and 'Mario are you going to become king?'! And I'm-I'm just not ready for it jet." He adds with a whisper. "I-I can't imagine a world where there is no Bowser kidnapping Peach, no adventures, no battles and no adrenalin. And God knows, Peach is going to make me quit all that once the ring lands on her finger." Mario then looked deep inside the prince's eyes. "I-I'm an adventurous person, Dreambert. I can't be locked up in a castle with a crown on my head. I'm just a lowly plumber, not a prince. I don't know how to lead a kingdom. Between me and Luigi, he's the better material for a political leader. I'm more of a soldier than a diplomat."

Dreambert nodded in understanding for, the pressure of having to lead a nation was present in his heart ever since his father was in low health.

He to, felt he was not ready to carry such huge responsibility upon his shoulders and, truth to be told, he was right.

It was but his first day as king, when Antasma attacked and turned him into a rock pillow. And he would have remained like that, if it wasn't for Luigi's newfound Luiginary powers and Mario's strong fist.

"I thought that Luigi's nightmares came from worrying too much about me, since I wasn't really hiding that something was bothering me every time I returned home from shopping. He saw the changes in my behavior better than anyone else. I was…jumpy to put it delicately, ready to pounce at anyone who dared to say the word 'wedding' in my presence. I was practically looking for a fight, wished for Bowser to attack so I had something to punch." He snorted. "Even snapped at him once, when he wanted to know what's going on." Dreambert could sense the elder JumpMan still felt guilty for releasing his concealed anger at the younger man, who did nothing but worry about him. "Ever since he started walking up in the middle of the night and acting like a zombie during the day, I made sure I never acted angry or annoyed around him and ignored anybody who talked about the 'wedding'."

Dreambert chuckled, making the red wearing man look at him with surprise. "I have to tell you Mario Sir, you're a magnificent actor. During all those weeks nobody guessed you were in such a peril, not even Peach." He then looked deep into the blue eyes. "But you can't always be strong, Mario. The pressure will break you sooner or later."

The other man growled. "This isn't about me, Dreambert." He stood up. "I can take care of my problems on my own. Luigi on the other hand, can't. The 'don't-show-Luigi-I'm-angry' tactic didn't work for long because, his nightmares actually got worse!" Once again the Pi'illo prince found himself face-to-face with an angry/concerned Mario. "I brought him here for you to get inside that mind of his, and fix it. Whatever _that_ is, make it stop tormenting my, little brother!" He then stopped to take a deep breath. "I had hope that you'll just take a quick peek inside his brain, find out what was causing him to have these nightmares, vanquish the source, and we could enjoy a happy holiday." Mario then stepped back to his seat and landed on it with a defeated sight. "And now you're telling me that Dreamy is dying. That something from _within_ is slowly sucking out his essence." He let his broad shoulders slump, and Dreambert took it as a sign of utter defeat.

He sounded as if Luigi was already dead. And he didn't like that.

"I never said we couldn't stop… _Dreamy_ from meeting his doom." The prince said, trying to lift up the other man's spirit.

Mario snorted. "You made it sound like it was already too late."

"If we can find a way inside his head, then there is hope." He said with a determinated glint in his eyes.

He knew getting into the Green Thunder's subconscious was the only way they could help him, however it was all up to Luigi if he would accept their help.

And something told the young monarch there was more the younger JumpMan was hiding under his skull, than just simple nightmares.

JA107: Hi guys! Sorry if I confused anybody! It made sense to me at first but…now that I look at it, maybe it was just me. Anyway, please _try_ to make sense out of this (I hope it won't be too hard a task). I just felt I was giving Weegee too much attention, and decided to show how Mario's view on the situation. (I'm not a big Mario fan, but he's surprisingly bearable when _I_ write about him).

Sorry again, if I made milkshake out of your brains by accident!

Have fun reading!

And, yes, Weegee's coming back next chapter, do not worry.


	7. Chapter 7

"Luigi's Dream Adventures: Antasma's grand return."

Chapter 7

"Something to make you different from him."

"There you guys are!" Link said spotting Luigi and Sonic from his spot in the café. "You took your sweet time getting here, Sonic. I was actually tempted to send Amy after you." He said pointing an accusing finger at the blue hedgehog. "'Fastest thing alive' my ass, you couldn't beat a snail in a foot race." The elf added giving Sonic a friendly elbow to the guts.

The blue speedy grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. "Aw come on Link, it wasn't my fault we were late."

"Really?" The Highrule hero raised a sceptic eyebrow. "Hard to believe, it coming from the tardiest creature I know." He kept that look on his face as he watched both the hedgehog and Luigi, take their seats on both sides of Kirby. Sonic dropped on his seat in his usual 'I'm-so-cool' style, his legs quickly landing on the edge of the table. Luigi sat down the same way every normal person did and Link couldn't help but notice just how tired and worn-out he looked while committing such an everyday task.

His eyes were glassy and had bags under them, the normal healthy color of cream left his skin and his posture was slumped over.

If he didn't know any better, he'd think the poor second fiddle didn't sleep at all during the night and was only managing to function properly thanks to caffeine. Fortunately he _did_ know better than to think Luigi, the most rational and smart guy he knew, would go through something so immature to get rid of nightmares. The green guy might not show it, but he's better than that.

"He's telling the truth, Link." He was broken out of his thoughts with the sound of said friend's voice. "This time he was actually the one having to wait for me." He laughed a little copying the hedgehog's move.

"I don't know what's crazier. The fact that Mr. I-have-to-be-on-time-and-god-help-anybody-who-stands-in-my-way was _late_ or that Sonic, the only supper fast being in the galaxy capable of being late, had to _wait_ for somebody." He eyed both his friends skeptically. "What, is there some kind of 'Reversal of roles' day I never heard about?"

Everybody laughed even Kirby who, for most of the time, was keeping a close look on Luigi.

 _Huh_. Link thought. _Looks like lil' Kirby's got the same feeling I have. Something must be wrong with Weegee, if even he's suspicious_.

The said hero's laugh was broken by a large yawn that escaped his throat.

Luigi cursed his weak control over his own body, now all three of his friends were eyeing him with worried glances.

"Tell me, Weegee." Link spoke up, making the smaller hero in green turn to face him. "Have you been having some…troubles with sleeping lately?"

Luigi sighted. "That obvious, eh?"

Sonic, Kirby and Link all nodded.

The younger JumpMan groaned at their concerned gazes. _Great._ He thought. _First Mario, now them._

"It's nothing guys. Really." He said taking a sip of coffee, Link ordered for all of them before he and Sonic arrived, and shivered softly at the unsuspected coldness it possessed.

When he looked up at his companions, he could see that they weren't buying anything he sent their way.

"The situation is nothing out of ordinary, guys. Yes, I do have occasional night terrors, but I'm already used to them." He wasn't lieing, he _was_ quite used to having nightmares. He's been experiencing them even before Antasma's…assault on his dream world, as a little kid. Mario had a bad habit of telling ghost stories every night when they were five and, being a very fearful and naïve child, poor little Luigi believed in every one of them.

"And since when are you _used_ to the, so called, _night terrors_?" Asked Sonic, his green eyes narrowed and full of suspicion.

Luigi rolled his eyes. "Ever since I heard my first ghost story at the age of five." He answered. "Come on, guys. You know how easy it is to scare me." He seriously didn't get why his friends were pushing the matter further. Giving everything he's been through with King Boo and the gloomy mansion, him having nightmares should be obvious even to Peach.

"That, my friend, we know." The taller hero in green, said. "But, during our long last friendship, you were never scared to this extent."

"Yeah, bro." Sonic interrupted. "You look as if you haven't slept for months!"

Luigi, sighted. "You're over exaggerating, Sonic." He said. "It's just a few bad dreams, nothing to worry about." Again he looked up and saw that their expressions didn't change. "Listen, guys. I know you're worried about me but…what I faced in the gloomy mansion is not something I'd like to talk about." He hoped they take the bait and believe that his nightmares were about his arch nemesis, King Boo and droop the subject.

Sonic and Link seemed to calm down a bit, their expressions changing from suspicious and worried to comforting and supportive. But Kirby seemed to be looking right through his lie, which didn't surprise the green hero. He lived in DreamLand, of _course_ he'd know if there was something more disturbing his (Luigi's) dreams than a regular nightmare. Deciding not to let the pink fluff-ball ask the question, Luigi quickly changed the subject.

"Anyway, enough about that. I heard that you two." He pointed at Link and Kirby. "Wanted to give me something, which is the reason why I'm here in the first place."

Something flashed in Link's eyes and the elf smiled. "Ah…right, the gifts." He then hurriedly drank up his cold coffee and mentioned for the rest of the team to follow him.

He and Kirby led Sonic and Luigi through the small forest behind Dreambert's kingdom and they ended up in a small sandy area.

"Uh…Link? Why are we in Dreambert's sword-training grounds?" The smaller hero in green asked, looking around.

"Because, it's tied up to the two gifts we decided to present to you." Link smiled and turned to face his three partners.

Luigi's eyes widened in realization. "No…no…Link you did not just get me a-"

"Sword?" A loud sound of something sharp brushing over leather and the most dangerous-looking, green-handled sword appeared before Mario's younger brother. "A pretty one, isn't it?" Link asked, lifting up the blade making it gleam in the sunlight.

Luigi lost all his words. He felt embarrassed that Link got him something so expensive while he didn't have anything in return. He was about to object taking it when…

"Don't even think about refusing." The bigger hero said, sternly. "This is a magic sword made especially for you. It's called "Nightmare Slayer" and is designed to come to your aid wherever you need it. It will keep you safe whenever Mario or I are not near too help you."

He then handed Luigi the sword, who took it with a shaking hand.

"With its help you won't have to worry about your nightmares and it will make you different from Mario if you begin to train in the art of sword fighting."

Luigi looked at the sword sparking in his hand and then at Link. Now he felt as if he just got another big brother "Thanks, Link. I hope I can repay you someday."

"No need, Weegee." The elf smiled. "I have enough of money and swords of my own, thank you." He then paused for a minute. "Now, how about I teach you how to use it, before you cut yourself."

All Luigi did was smile.


	8. Chapter 8

"Luigi's Dream Adventures: Antasma's grand return."

Chapter 8

"Training and the many talents that where hidden."

 _The dream world looked a lot different than the last time Luigi saw it, and the green hero was grateful for that. It meant he still had control over his dreams, even if it was only enough to change the landscape into a giant gym._

 _The younger JumpMan was doing push-ups on his left hand in the middle of it, sweat dropping down his cheeks and brows, breaths coming out labored and shaky. Luigi was quite proud of those to be honest, never being strong enough to do them in real life (giving dear big brother, Mario another reason to gloat) but he always knew Dreamy's body was a lot stronger than his own._

 _He was never much for working out in the gym, that was Mario's second favorite activity to eating, being more of a 'attack fast and avoid damage' type of warrior in oppose to his brother's 'hit as hard as you can and see if the enemy can punch equally as hard' type but, if his plan is to have_ any _chance of succeeding, he'll need all the strength he can get._

 _What he was going to do, was completely out of his comfort zone, which is why he believed it was going to work._

 _He smirked._

 _Antasma won't know what hit him._

 _Luigi did about ten more push-ups on his right hand and then moved to the sit-ups. He didn't have all the time in the world, despite being in a place outside the influence of time, every second without the bat king's interruption was precious and had to be taken full advantage of._

 _Even though the green hero wasn't satisfied with the work-out, feeling still much too weak and sloppy, he knew his private time was running short._

 _Growling at the slight pain in his legs and arms, he moved towards the small table with a towel and a bottle of fresh water. Luigi picked up the bottle and gulped down the tasteless liquid, feeling the cool sensation quench his thirst with every swallow._

 _"Ah…" He sighted, pulling the bottle away from his parched lips. "That sure felt good. I really need to work out more, at least in this body. I'm sure Dreamy won't mind if I borrow it for a couple of sessions, once this is over." The green then took a few breaths to steady his heartbeat and limit his body's use of oxygen, so he doesn't have to gulp air like a drowned man all the time. "Right. Enough of that, time for the real deal." He scowled himself and summoned the remaining bit of his, once powerful and unlimited, Luiginary powers to the palm of his right hand._

 _A small green hue surrounded it and for a second, Luigi admired the warm feeling of invincibility it carried, even if most of it didn't belong to him anymore. Then took a small part of it to his left hand and released both of them, in different parts of the gym._

 _The one he threw to the left, turned into a pair of a certain blue hedgehog's shoes, while the one that landed to his right became the speedster's embodiment._

 _The image reminded Luigi of bad TV reception, it was glitchy and didn't sound right most of the time. But Luigi needed to master the art of using the Power Sneakers and there was nobody who knew how to use them better than Sonic, even if he glitches from time to time._

 _"Right. I see you're done with the warm-up. Good, because it's time for the real deal and we wouldn't have time for it otherwise." The hologram of his best friend said sternly, eyeing Luigi from head to toe._

 _Sonic may be a goof of most of the time, regardless of the situation. But when it comes to running and using his beloved shoes, he can be the harshest, most strict and hard to please trainer you ever encountered._

 _Luigi never had a chance to see that side of Sonic before last night but he heard a lot about it from Tails, who experienced it firsthand._

 _"Hey, hey, HEY! Wake up, dreamy head!" The green hero was junked out of his thoughts by the blue entities, angry yell. "In case you didn't get the memo, we're on a time table here!" A hard slap across the head made sure Luigi never made that mistake again._

 _"Alright, alright, geez." The green plumber groaned, rubbing the sore spot. "No need to be brutal."_

 _Another hard slap._

 _"I_ will _be brutal, if the situation calls for it." Sonic growled, throwing the extra pair of shoes at his student. "Now gear up! Let's see if you're as bad in running, as you are in jumping."_

 _Luigi grumbled curses at the hologram Sonic as he tied up the shoe lases. That bastard had a bad habit of comparing his abilities to Mario's and constantly kept pushing him down, every mistake he made with hurtful comments and sarcastic remarks._

 _The green hero was well aware that this way of training was used in the common military school. With the commanders pointing every small mistake with a mentally-scaring remark and no acknowledgment when he actually managed to do the exercise correctly. All to break down the future soldier's spirit during every season, before finally giving him that one pat in the back and welcoming him to the army as a new man._

 _But that didn't mean he was happy his creation was using it._

 _The second both shoes were finally on his feet a trembling sensation shot up his legs, making him want to jog in place, surprising the green hero more than just a bit._

 _Luigi concluded that those shoes were charged up with an enormous amount of raw energy and the only way to waste it, was to run as far and as fast you can, without stopping. Until that eventually happens, the younger JumpMan's feet will keep begging him for a quick run. Annoying the heck out of him since he had no way of controlling the strengthening runlust._

 _After a couple of seconds during which he was just watching Luigi, Sonic seemed pleased with the reaction his student's body had, after connecting with the shoes._

 _"Well, this went better than expected." The blue hedgehog's imitation said with a satisfied grin._

 _"What do you mean?" Mario's little brother asked, fighting the urge to answer the shoes' calls and just run for it._

 _"Well, for starters, you didn't run of the minute they landed on your feet." Sonic's grin grew larger and he gave a small, approving pat on his second student's back. "That means that, already, the shoes have enough respect for you, to listen to your commands. And, according to what the person I'm based on knows about them, that only occurs when they're worn by naturals." The hologram gave him a double thumbs-up. "What do ya know, Weegee." He placed a glitchy hand over Luigi's shoulders. "I didn't know you were a born runner."_

 _The green hero, grinned. "Hey, I'm full of surprises." He was happy to know he was good in something else than jumping and "imitating" his big brother. Though, to be honest, he really shouldn't be surprised that he was a born sprinter. Ever since he beat Mario in their first race as kids, the red plumber banned the game for the rest of their shared childhood, because that was the only game in which Luigi could win against him._

 _And he was always the lighter and faster of the two of them, it was only natural to assume that the younger was built for speed. That aspect was often used by their PE teacher. If there was a sprinting competition between their school and another, Luigi was always called out to participate. Mario usually bit his fingernails in anger, when his little brother won one race after another._

 _Not to mention the fact that Link also complemented his speed, during the sword training they had a while back. It turned out he's quite talented with wielding the melee weapon and could last longer against Link, who welded the Master Sword ever since he was a kid, than any other of his previous opponents._

 _Luigi frowned, he should have thought about bringing his Nightmare Slayer along with him. The familiar weight of the weapon would bring the feeling of protection, he so desperately needed with its usual source, in the form of his older brother, was out of equation._

 _He shrugged, it was too late to think about it now. He had serious training ahead of him, there was no time to beat himself over something he can't fix._

 _"Alright, Luigi." Glitchy Sonic said, pulling him once more out of his thoughts. "How about we give these babies a quick try-out?"_

 _By the time he finished talking, the green plumber was already far, far away._


	9. Chapter 9

"Luigi's Dream Adventures: Antasma's grand return."

Chapter 9

"He's here."

 _Luigi ran._

 _And it was the most amazing feeling he ever felt in his life._

 _It was better than his first jump, better than the feeling of victory after defeating King Boo for the first time, better than traveling through galaxies and riding a falling star._

 _As he watched the deserted landscape turning into blurs in front of him, his legs kept pushing. Kept demanding to go faster and faster._

 _For once in his life, he felt like he was doing something_ his way.

 _Not copying from Mario, like everybody thought he did. Well…maybe he was copying Sonic a bit, but he didn't belong in the Mushroom kingdom. The toads wouldn't care if he stole form him. They only see him stealing jumps and moves from Mario, they never see him for who he is. To them he's just a lame copy-cat._

 _Shaking his head, Luigi tried to ignore the sad thoughts and focus on taking shorter steps._

 _He needed to go faster because he wasn't_ nearly _as fast as he_ wanted _to be. His point being proven a second later, with glitchy Sonic speeding past him with ease._

 _Frowning he tried to catch up to his part-time teacher, only to find out he can't because the blue speedster was just to, damn, fast._

 _"This is to slow." Luigi muttered to himself. "I have to go faster." With that said he made his legs go beyond the shoes speed limit, which was, confirmed by Sonic himself, impossible._

 _"Don't bother, Green." The blue hedgehog slowed down enough for Luigi to match his speed. "Those things aren't going to go beyond that. They already made you faster than they should, you can't push them so hard. Those things have limits, you know."_

 _"A wise man once told me: "There is no limit to what you can do."" He said, panting. "If what he said is true, then I'll_ make _them go faster!" Determination sparkled like the fire pits of hell, in his eyes._

 _He wasn't going to stop trying._

 _Not when the whole universe is in danger, not when innocent lives are at stake, not while Antasma still breathes!_

 _"Luigi, slow down!" He heard Sonic yell in panic as he pushed, both his shoes and his body, harder. "Luigi, I'm_ warning _you! If you don't slow down_ now _, you will lose control!"_

 _But Luigi wasn't listening, being much too concentrated on the images that showed laughing Toads and his older brother. The very people he protected from Bowser on a daily basis._

 _How their laughter echoed in his ears, mentally scaring his sense of self-worth. How they pointed out his every mistake and called him a 'coward' and a 'weakling' whenever he back away from the horde of them, afraid of engaging them all in single-combat. How all the insults they threw at him, dug their way into his heart, stinging him harder than an army of angered bees. How they all thought he couldn't do anything, let alone beat anyone, on his own._

 _But more importantly, he focused on the strong sense of wanting to prove them all_ wrong. _The feeling evolved in his chest and sparkled in his sapphire eyes._

 _Luigi felt his legs weaken under the strain of constant running, but he didn't care._

 _He felt his lungs burn beneath his ribcage from the lack of air, he pushed even harder._

 _After a minute…it was working!_

 _With a happy cry he watched himself speed before Sonic, who watched him in shock glowing in his green eyes._

 _Euphoria erupted in his lungs. He was doing it! He was going faster!_

 _The green defender of the Mushroom Kingdom almost saw the shocked looks on his brother's and the villager's faces and-_

 _That's when everything decided to go to hell._

 _Electric sparks erupted from the shoes and the green plumber was struggling to control the sporadic movement of his legs, to keep them from tripping over one another._

 _He was losing control! He had to slow down. Now!_

 _But the shoes didn't want to, didn't listen._

 _They zapped with electricity before suddenly nailing his feet to the ground and sending him flying across the gym, with a startled cry._

 _"LUIGI!" Glitchy Sonic yelled as he watched his friend collide with the opposing wall with a sickening crack before landing on his stomach and moving no more._

 _"L-Luigi?" The blue creature asked softly, walking up to the fallen hero. He got no answer. "Bro? Can you hear me?" He reached out and touched the green man's shoulder. No reaction. "Bro? Come on, answer me. Luigi!" He shook the younger JumpMan until he heard a low moan escape the plumber's mouth._

 _Baby-blue eyes fluttered open and met grass-green. "W-What…" He tried to speak but the pain in his chest made it close to impossible to say anything but a quiet hiss._

 _"Relax buddy." Sonic said, relief in his voice. "I think it's enough training for tonight, you're hurt."_

 _But the fallen hero would have none of it._

 _Growling angrily he pushed himself upwards, against Sonic's rather loud protests._

 _"I…can't…rest…now." Luigi hissed through gritted teeth as he slowly made his way towards the table with his water bottle. His right leg throbbed painfully and he had no doubt it was cracked. If it was broken he wouldn't be able to stand right now, let alone walk._

 _Again the green plumber had to thank Grambi, Dreamy's body is much more durable than his. That hit he just took would surely end with more than just a cracked leg, if he was in his real body._

 _"Luigi stop it, right now!"_

 _"Still…not…fast…enough." The Mushroom kingdom's second fiddle grunted and began drinking from his water bottle, like a dehydrated man freshly taken of a desert. "Need…to…be…faster."_

 _"Luigi I already told you." The blue hedgehog groaned in irritation. "Those shoes are_ not _going to make you any quicker and besides, you're hurt. I don't think your leg can take much more running."_

 _"It…doesn't…matter…if…I…can…take…it…or…not!" Luigi yelled at his friend/creation. "I…can't…let him…win."_

 _Sonic sighted. "I know, bro. I know." He then placed a comforting hand on the green brother's shoulder. "But you won't win against Antasma with a cracked leg. Come on, Luigi." He begged, eyes shining with tears. "Let your wounds heal. Listen to reason."_

 _But the younger Mario brother shook his head._

 _"Went…to far…to stop now." He wheezed finally gaining some control over his speech back. "Need faster shoes."_

 _Sonic looked at him for a solid minute before bursting into laughter._

 _"What's…so funny?" Luigi asked, his face growing red like every time he thought he did something stupid and wasn't aware of it._

 _The glitchy projectile struggled to control his laughter, wiping away tears as he tried to calm down his breathing._

 _"Y-You just said you needed faster shoes." The blue hedgehog laughed. "There is no such thing, Weegee." He added with a smile._

 _"Oh yeah?" The plumber said picking up the challenge. "Then…what about…Shadow's 'Hover Shoes'?"_

 _Sonic snorted, his form glitching like a bad computer program. "They have the same limit as mine do. If they didn't, don't you think he'd be able to_ run _past me?"_

 _"You know…I think…he just never…used them…to their full…potential…Because fighting…an opponent who can't keep up with you…is boring." Luigi said with a cocky smile on his face._

 _The blue speedster blushed furiously. "T-That's not true! I can keep up with anything just_ fine _!"_

 _"Sure…sure." The plumber grinned, waving a dismissing hand in front of his animal friend. "Whatever…helps you…sleep at night." He added, his smile widening. "How about I bring them here…and we can…find out…eh?"_

 _"Oh…you started it now, pal!" Glitchy Sonic yelled, determinated to win. "I hope you're ready for a major disappointment, because this race belongs to me!"_

 _Shrugging the green male just concentrated on the small remains of the Luiginary power he had and slowly imagined the shoes, he saw so many times on the black hedgehog's feet._

 _Just like the first pair and Glitchy, the requested abject appeared next to him with a small "poof"._

 _Instead of just taking of the first shoes that already occupied his legs, Luigi walked up to the new ones and with a quick use of his fading power, merged them together. Creating a hybrid that possessed both of the shoes qualities._

 _But before Sonic could shout in protest…_

 _The room became cold and eerie._

 _Luigi then shoot up from admiring his work and turned to face the farthest wall behind him, with an angry scowl on his face._

 _Glitchy had to strain his ears to hear what he said next._

 _"He's here."_


	10. Chapter 10

"Luigi's Dream Adventures: Antasma's grand return."

Chapter 10

"The Slayer comes to Play."

 _It all happened in a matter of seconds._

 _A large cloud of dark smoke emerged from the shadowy corner, with purple eyes glaring angrily at the two heroes…_

 _Glitchy's own eyes widening as he turned around yelling:_

 _"Run, Weegee! RUN!"_

 _Luigi sending the cloud his infamous death-glare before taking of in a flash of green light…_

 _Antasma was quick to follow, throwing needles the length of Samus's arm at the new speedster, in order to throw him off balance. Though the villain didn't necessarily have to do anything to hurt the green Mario. The plumber was doing a wonderful job on his own._

 _Dreambert's greatest enemy knew Luigi had a problem regarding the pain in his right leg. The more he moved, the larger the crack became. Which lead to even more pain as well as a serious limitation of movement. It won't be long before he has a serious case of a broken bone, and both he and the bat king new it._

 _All Antasma really had to do, was wait._

 _Watching the green plumber struggle to control his new shoes, the bat king had to admire the hero's stubbornness and will to fight. Any other being would have cracked_ months _ago, their weak psyche breaking under the enormous stress, knowing that, if they die, the whole world will follow._

 _But not Luigi._

 _It was a wonder he was so underestimated by his friends and brother, when all he ever showed was fierce loyalty and a very strong spirit._

 _True, he might not be strong physically, being more a defender than an offender, but he had stamina that could rival the best boxers. He knows how to take a hit, as well as is fast enough to avoid one in the first place, giving a wonderful contrast to his brother Mario who simply rushes in, wishing his opponents won't be able to punch him, before he manages to knock them out._

 _Antasma sighted._

 _Such a waste of shuck fine potential._

 _As much as he was fond of the marvelous display of courage by Mario's little brother, the powerful king of bats decided he grew tired of this game of 'tag'. It was time to bring the green blur, down._

 _Using his superior hold on the plumber's dreams that he now has, Antasma altered the gym room so that wherever the hero ran, walls rose up to block his way and, hopefully, smash him into submission._

 _Because for Dreamy Luigi to finally die, the original one needs to give up fighting altogether. And so far the younger hero proved to be unyieldingly stubborn, just like his brother._

 _But even the most stubborn people have their limits, and Luigi by far extinguished his._

 _A falter in the hero's resolve, a small stumble in his step…_

 ** _Ah…_** _Antasma thought with unhidden glee, speeding up._

 ** _It won't be long now._**

 _Luigi didn't even notice the moment where his lungs began to show signs of disobedience, his vision began to get cloudy and his ears were pounding with the sound of a thousand war drums._

 _He just focused on jumping over and sliding through the walls that seemed to grow out of nowhere._

 _But the pace kept getting faster…while he stumbled constantly._

 _The plumber knew that, with the faulty leg and the invisible leeches sucking out Dreamy's powers, he won't be able to keep this race any longer._

 _It was now or never._

 _With a determinated look on his face, Luigi stomped his good leg down, turning himself around, still sliding back a few meters, no longer running._

 _It was time he followed his brother's footsteps and attacked instead of defended._

 _The bat king stopped a few feet before him. He knew he could just cause a wall to rise up and squish him where he stood but, so far, Luigi proved to be a worthy adversary and fully earned the villain's respect. And, in Antasma's eyes, that was enough to deserve a last stand._

 _Acknowledging this as a final attempt of attack, the king patently waited for the plumber's move._

 _Taking in a calming breath the green brother of Mario prepared his weakened body for the final attack. He was going to preform one of Sonic's strongest moves, the Spin Dash._

 _Luigi was going to put everything he had left, in that single move. If it didn't work than…well…he'll find another way._

 _Praying to whatever god watches over, the green plumber readied his body for the large amount of pain that will slam into it once the move is in motion._

 _He took a deep breath to calm his thundering heart._

 _This was going to_ hurt _._

 _Not feeling the least bit prepared, Luigi bent his knees enough to touch the ground with his hand and assumed a sprinters position. His full body weight on his good leg while the bad one balance him from the back._

 _Antasma waited patiently, watching the lone hero with his emotionless purple eyes._

 _Luigi bit his lips and looked up at his opponent with hate in his baby-blue eyes. This was the entity that threatens to kill everything he cares about, everyone he ever dared to call 'friend' and destroy all the places that hold powerful memories of his cheerful upbringing._

 _And he's about to make an enormous leap of faith to protect, not only his world and kingdom, but that of his friends as well. The Mushroom kingdom might be big, but it won't be nearly enough to satisfy Antasma's quest for dominance. Hyrule, Sonic's City, Kirby's world…that all will be in grave danger if the Spin Dash won't work._

 _A picture of him, Link, Sonic and Kirby sitting around in a café popped into his mind, reminding the little brother of the great Mario, who_ truly _believed in him._

 _Then the picture of Daisy hugging Waluigi reminded him, who_ should _believe in him and yet…didn't._

 _Shaking the image out of his head he tried to focus on the task at hand but couldn't help but ask: Was Rosalina watching him from her home in the middle of the galaxy?_

 _He hoped so, he wouldn't feel so lonely that way._

 _With a loud battle cry he began running again, his body surrounded with golden-green light. Halfway to his target, the hero made one final push with his good leg and curled into a ball. Turning into a golden-green version of an attacking Sonic._

 _Nearly immediately he began to feel dizzy, the fast spinning motion making his head spin, but he still pressed on. Through barely open eyes he could see the cloudy form of the bat king getting closer and closer, soon they'll collide._

 _Seconds past and he finally reached his target._

 _To the green plumber's enormous surprise…he went straight through the villains body, not even hurting him enough to flinch._

 _Heart beating wildly with fear and limbs struggling to stop his uncontrollably spinning body, Luigi was in a state of panic. The golden-green blur was out of control, still going forward but began hitting the ground in various places, leaving small crashes behind._

 _His body collided with the wall before he could do anything._

 _Sharp pain erupted from his back, which meet the unforgivable rock head-on, and the young hero screamed as he hit the ground. Leaving a large hole in his wake._

 _He could feel at least half of his bones broken, his lungs were filling up with blood and a shard of the ground he crashed into, left a long, deep gash in his left eye, leaving him half blind._

 _"Well, well, well…" Luigi heard the voice of his new arch-nemesis, over the sound of his own coughs. "Looks like your struggle if finally over." Wiping the large amount of blood from his mouth, the younger hero looked up at the villain. "Any last words, hero?"_

 _Luigi smiled._

 _"S-Should've…" A heavy coughing session interrupted him. "B-Brought…t-the…p-poltergeist 5000." He rasped out, lowering his head to the ground and moaning in pain._

 _"You were a worthy opponent, hero." Luigi would have spat at him if there was something else than blood in his mouth, and he had the energy to pull himself to his knees. "Now…die."_

 _The bat king pulled his clawed hand back for a clear shot…_

 _Luigi closed his eyes…_

Mario, Peach, Yoshi, Link, Zelda, Sonic, Kirby, Dreambert, Rosalina… _He though as the hand headed for his body, his eye filling with tears._ I'm sorry.

 _Just as the hit was about to land-_

 _*SLICE!*_

 _*SPLAT*_

 _*CLANK!*_

 _"Aaaaaaargh!" Antasma's pained screams made Luigi open his eye in confusion._

 _The powerful king of bats was gripping his severed arm, yelling in pain and anger, his cut-off hand lay twitching on the ground next to-_

 _Luigi's eyes widened._

 _Nightmare Slayer, the sword given to him by Link, embodied in the ground. The sword glowed a soft light-green glow and as looked sharp as ever._

 _It came all the way from the real world…_

 _To slay the nightmare that raged within its master._


	11. Chapter 11

"Luigi's Dream Adventures: Antasma's grand return."

Chapter 11

"Unexpected help or just more danger?"

 _Unknown to both Antasma and Luigi, two figures stood high above the ground overlooking the scene happening beneath them._

 _One of them was kneeling closer to the edge watching the battle with intense focus, silver eyes gleaming in the darkness. The other stood behind him arms crosses over his chest, his blue gaze focused on his companion and white coat flapping in the wind._

 _"You know you'll have to intervene sooner or later." The second man stated, walking over to his companion. "Even with Dreamy's amazing durability, he won't last any longer with those injuries."_

 _"I know." The kneeling one answered closing his eyes and sighting. "I'd rather not get involved at all, Doc." He added looking back at his friend. "Making that bat bastard aware of my existence might just make everything worse, and we're already on red-alarm here."_

 _"There are always risks, my friend." The other placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "He would have found out about us eventually." He said. "We could only hide for so long."_

 _"I am aware of that, Doc." The silver-eyed man sighted, gently pushing the hand off, looked back at the screeching evildoer and let out a humorless chuckle. "Isn't it ironic?" He asked, keeping his eyes on the battlefield. "One conqueror of worlds wanting to remodel them in his image, going against another. I'm practically going to fight my own reflection."_

 _"The choice between good and evil was made for you, before." The one known as 'Doc' responded. "You didn't get to truly chose where you wished to belong so...no. It's not ironic."_

 _"I went along with it, didn't I?" Silver eyes met blue ones briefly before turning away again. "I didn't care if millions of people were going to lose their lives, because of what I was going to do." The man's shoulders slumped. "I'm no better than him."_

 _"If I remember correctly, you were mind controlled back then. While he, on the other hand, dose all this out of his own free will." 'Doc' said, petting the other's back. "And besides: what happened in the past, is in the past."_

 _"Excuses, excuses…"_

 _The other rolled his eyes, sighting loudly._

 _"Why can't you just let go of that little incident back then? Sure, some of the worlds were destroyed because of your help, but you can't be put at fault for something you couldn't control." 'Doc' again placed his hand on his companion's shoulder. "But, what is even more important than that, you_ changed _after the hypnosis wore off and that's something not many bad guys are capable of."_

 _Silver eyes looked at blue with gratitude and their owner flashed his friend a quick smile._

 _"The light side always wins, huh?" He asked with a chuckle, his steely eyes sparkling with mirth as he stepped over towards the edge._

 _"Aye, that it does." 'Doc' responded with a soft smirk of his own, watching his friend prepare to join the battle._

 _"Then I'm glad, I'm on this side." Were the last words he heard, before his darker clad companion jumped off the edge._

* * *

 _Luigi coughed hoarsely as he tried to push himself up, the life giving iron-taste liquid slipping down his neck and chest as the injured hero struggled to breathe, only one thing on his mind:_

 _Getting to the sword._

 _The movement of his broken and cracked arms sent sharp stabs of pain through his nervous system, but he refused to stop._

 _He learned to appreciate the pain after the few 'to-close-for-comfort' meetings with Bowser's fireballs._

 _Pain was good, pain meant he was still alive…still kicking._

 _It became his private symbol of hope during the many battles he had to fight with the Bat King._

 _If something was broken and it hurt like a dog mama then it meant it was still connected to him, that it could still be fixed. It wasn't just a dead weight composed of skin and shattered bones, which he'll have to get rid of as soon as he gets up._

 _That's why he was rather alarmed when he couldn't feel something that_ should _be causing him agony, right now._

 _Despite having his legs broken rather painfully…he couldn't feel anything below his belt._

 _Not his knees, not his shins, not his feet, not_ anything.

 _They were gone, it was as if they were never there in the first place…the cold_ nothingness _they left behind making his stomach twist with panic and fear._

 _His chest suddenly heaved painfully and he was engulfed in a series of painful coughs, each one making the red puddle below him grow in size._

 _Luigi's vision blurred as he swayed on his shaking arms, the world around him becoming a shapeless mishmash of colors and random shapes._

 _He couldn't focus anymore, his brain struggling to keep sending its body commands to remain living, all the while fighting with the onslaught of pain and a strengthening concussion._

 _It took him a total of 56 seconds to catch himself forgetting how to breathe regularly._

 _A part of him said it shouldn't have taken him so long. Another argued that breathing hurt too much to keep doing it constantly. Might as well give it up altogether._

 _Nightmare Slayer looked like a beautiful green flower from where he laid on the ground, after his arms failed to keep him upright anymore._

 _For a moment…he swore he heard his mother calling his name, her soft melodic voice coming from between the black spots that began clouding his vision._

 _He would've reached out for her or called back if he still had the strength to do so, but unfortunately those simple things were beyond his realms of capabilities for the moment._

 _Maybe…maybe he should go to sleep…Mario always said that a 'good nap is always the best medicine for everything'…maybe it'll take the pain away…maybe he'll see clearly once he wakes up…maybe everything will go back to normal…_

 _Maybe…_

 _His eyes were closing, the sweet realm of Morpheus welcoming him into it land._

 _…maybe…_

 _"Hey!" A voice from somewhere above his ears yelled and he felt a thug on his shoulder._

 _"Stay with me, ok?" It said, shaking the green hero a bit more fiercely. "I'm going to take you to a doctor, okay? Just hold on until I take care of this bastard, alright? Whatever you do, don't fall asleep." Those words sounded like they came out of his own mouth only a bit…different._

 _Luigi's tired, now single eye, opened to see his apparent savior._

 _If his mind was still functioning properly, he would have cursed._

 _JA107: Can you guys guess the identities of the two 'figures'? ;) I hope I didn't make it to cryptic, nor to easy…otherwise there would be no fun XD Anyway, thank you all for the continued support and I'm glad you enjoy this story_ _J_ _Hope this chapter satisfies you for now. If you can't guess the identities, do not fret! I'll will be reviled in the next one!_

 _Ciao!_


	12. Chapter 12

"Luigi's Dream Adventures: Antasma's grand return."

Chapter 12

"Siding with the lesser of two evils, is still siding with evil."

Mr.L looked worriedly at the fallen body before him, as Antasma was still screaming in agony from losing his arm so suddenly and posing no threat for at least a couple of minutes.

It wasn't much but it was enough for the anti-hero to assess the damage.

Dreamy Luigi looked like hell: his legs laid on the ground twisted in angles the host of the Chaos Heart was sure legs _shouldn't_ bend in, his mouth couldn't seem to stop weeping fresh blood and his chest was covered in bumps where his ribs tried to penetrate his skin and clothing, with every wheezing labored breath he managed to take.

 _Doc's right_. Mr.L thought, gritting his teeth in absolute fury upon seeing his companion in such a state. _The damage is lethal. Without proper medical attention…_ The past minion of Count Bleck swallowed a lump in his throat. _Dreamy might not make it._

Further worrying about his friend's condition was brought to a screeching halt with the King of Bats' enraged roar, pulling the anti-hero-turned-hero's attention back to the source of all the problems.

The villain was _livid_ having lost his arm rather painfully, with it seemingly having no intention of growing back without him retreating to lick his wounds, and wanting nothing more than to turn the already bloody mess that was Dreamy Luigi's body, into a red smear on the floor.

In his blinding rage he didn't take to account the new person who now opposed him, nor did he know what dark powers hid behind the protective hold of the dark clad man's ribcage.

"Stand down, Fragment of Luigi's mind." He growled, his voice low and signaling that he was done playing games. "This situation does not concern the likes of you nor can you be affected by it." He narrowed his eyes at the vigilante. "Leave now and carry on with your pointless existence until your own time comes."

Mr.L simply looked nonchalantly at the angered villain and smiled.

The poor Bastard obviously doesn't know what he's facing.

"I think you are misinterpreting the situation, Mr. Antasma." A voice so similar to Luigi's own left the masked hero's mouth, sounding bored and unthreatened. "You see…I have _nothing_ to fear from you since, as you said, unlike Dreamy, who's now the vessel of our Master's conscious, I'm not _real_. You can't destroy something that's not really there, after all." He chuckled humorlessly. "But, you know what the _really_ funny thing is?" He asked, his black-clad back turned to the King of Bats. "I may _just_ be a manifestation of our pal Luigi's hopes and dreams…but I can _still_ destroy you with the simple act of waving a glowed hand in your direction, if you piss me off enough." He looked over his shoulder at Antasma, his eyes emitting a green glow and his lips split in an evil grin. "Shocking, isn't it? How the tables can turn so _quickly_ on the person who set them." His expression turned into one of mock-sympathy. "I'm actually starting to _pity_ you."

The King of Bats actually smiled.

"You amuse me, Foolish One." He said, looking into the glowing eyes of his newest opponent. "I now possess power to control _everything_ in the Dream Realm, as well as _everyone_ in it and that includes _you_." With a snap of a finger he presented how the surrounding area bends effortlessly to his will. "There is no _limit_ to what a person can accomplish while dreaming, for this place exists _beyond_ the reign of time and physics." Behind Mr.L Antasma could see another figure, one wearing a doctor's kilt and a stethoscope around his neck, appear next to Dreamy's body but payed him no need. There was a far _more_ entertaining person to torment and destroy before him. "With all that power at my disposal, it is logical to assume you are now trying to win a battle against a _God_. So tell me…" He made a step towards Mr.L. "Does winning _still_ seem plausible to you?"

A long pause stretched between the two combatants, each trying to out-intimidate the other, with the faint sound of trying to keep Dreamy awake in the background.

It all lasted about five minutes…

Before Mr.L began hysterically laughing like a maniac, causing Antasma to frown in confusion and 'Doc' Luigi to look at him with concern and fear in his eyes.

Whatever the King of Bats was hoping to accomplish with his countering speech, it clearly wasn't this.

After a full minute of nonstop laughing, Mr.L finally began to calm down.

"Oh this is just _rich!_ " He giggled. "You _still_ don't get it, do you?" Seeing the rather confused look upon his opponent's face, the mask wearing ex-villain let out one last laugh before becoming semi-serious once again. "Let's start from the begging, shall we?" Mr.L smiled, his teeth becoming sharper and the look in his glowing silver eyes getting wilder.

"You might have noticed that there is something… _off_ about me compared to other manifestations in our buddy Luigi's head like, for example, 'Doc' back there." He pointed at his white-clad companion behind him. "Mainly the fact that _I_ used to be _evil_ , while the others are all 'do-goody-two-shoes'." Mr.L explained. "Tough I assure you, it _wasn't_ Luigi's intention to make me like that, far from it actually. You see I was _supposed_ to be a masked _vigilante_. Someone to contradict the, well-intentioned but also attention seeking, heroics of Mario by saving people but not staying behind long enough to receive any credit of prize. Just like a real hero _should_." Mr.L sighted and shook his head. "But, as luck would have it, things didn't turn out quite the way our pal Weegee wanted them to, poor guy never does seem to catch a break. Anyway…It all happened about three years ago, during an _especially_ dangerous adventure that focused on saving the _Universe_ from a brokenhearted madman that decided to destroy it, and re-make it so that the terrible thing that changed him from good to bad, never happened." The masked ex-villain fiddled with his mustache while he talked. "In order for his plan to succeed he followed the instructions of a book called the 'Dark Prognosticus', and in said book he read that he needed to find a 'Guy in Green' and _fuse_ him _with_ the weapon of mass destruction, for only _he_ would be able to control its massive amount of power." Mr.L grinned when he saw Antasma flinch at the mention of the 'Dark Prognosticus', apparently the fool was aware of is existence. "As you can see the unnamed man only _partly_ managed to carry out his plan, before Mr. Mario and his friends decided to crash his party." He paused for some good dramatic effect before continuing. "Though the Universe still remains intact today…I'm afraid its fate has been _sealed_ from the moment one of the bad man's minion's, Nastasia, brainwashed Luigi and imprinted me with a brand new personality to better fit their plan. From that moment on, it was only a matter of time before I got my hands on it." Mr.L shrugged. "Though I must admit, Mario _did_ make a pretty good attempt in destroying the blasted thing."

As the black-green manifestation of Luigi's imagination spoke the look on Antasma's face slowly changed from mildly confused, to increasingly more terrified.

"But he _didn't_ destroy it, did he?" He whispered, black face so pail it was nearly gray now. "It's _still_ inside you, isn't it?"

Mr.L smiled with Luigi's mouth.

"Well…I _am_ standing here, aren't I?" His pointy teeth glowed in the dark as his grin widened. "I would think that's proof enough, considering it's rather _impossible_ to live without a heart."

The amount of fear the King of Bats was feeling right now, was immeasurable and for good reason too.

He could see the signs of the Chaos Heart waking up from its dormant stage, slowly rising to his challenge to take him on in full strength.

Even with the magnificent powers of Dreamy Luigi, Antasma isn't foolish enough to think he can take on the prophesized, and once stopped, 'Destroyer of the Known Universe' combined with its chosen vessel.

"I see you're finally beginning to get it." Mr.L smiled, his body transforming on Antasma's very eyes. The man's face and clothes now had two colors: the right side white and the left black, his eyes a mismatched pair of white and yellow were wild and bordering on insane, as the area around his heart began to emit a soft black glow. Behind him large black tentacles began to grow from his back, the largest one picking him off the ground and placing him high in the air. "Good…"

Antasma took a step back from the coldness and complete bloodthirst in Luigi's eyes.

"I will destroy your very being, like a mighty lion crushes the bones of its prey under its mighty jaws…" Mario's brother giggled to himself, sounding nothing like himself at all.

"…Ooooooh it's _good_ to be _free_ again."

* * *

JA107: Hi Guys! :D Sorry it took so long to update! Can anyone guess who decided to poke his head into the story _now_? (PS: The answer to the last guessing game are: Mr.L and Doctor Luigi. Congratulations to everyone who guessed right! You are true 'Mario' fans ;) ) Hint: Luigi wasn't the only one taking part in the final-boss fusion with the chaos heart, and, the speech patern might be familiar to 'Paper Mario' fans ;)

Good luck guessing this 'mysterious' character and happy Easter!


	13. Chapter 13

"Luigi's Dream Adventures: Antasma's grand return."

Chapter 13

"This body is too small for the both of us."

Doctor Luigi could only stare at the chaos spreading before him, heart pounding and hands pressing on one of the more seriously bleeding wounds on Dreamy's body.

Dear Grambi…they were losing control faster than any of them could take it back.

He hoped, _Jades_ how he _hoped_ , that L wouldn't _have to_ resort to using such _drastic_ measured. That a small demonstration of the Heart's power would be enough to drive back the invading villain, long enough for them to retreat and lick their wounds.

They should have known that _wouldn't_ happen.

They should have known this was too big a risk.

They should have known the demonstration of the Heart's true power will do a lot _more_ than _just_ intimidate Antasma.

It will also awake a demon everyone thought was long put to rest.

"Mmmm…" The foreign voice hummed with Luigi's mouth, as he hovered calmly over their heads like a visible ghoul. "Such an _interesting_ predicament this is, I'd say." Mismatched eyes twinkled as they stared down the villain before them. "I leave for _five minutes_ and _already_ our dear little Weegee has another remarkably strong evil-doer fighting over his body, like a young actress finding a juicy contract laying on another's chair, while the rightful owner is in her shower."

One the sentence was uttered, the ever-present smile fell from the ginning face, the white-yellow set of eyes delivering its fiercest glare to its opponent.

"Like a child who just received a long awaited action figure, I do not respond _nicely_ to people touching _my toys_ without permission, _Antasma_."

Just like that the king of Shadows, faced with as common an emotion among fellow villains as anger, regained a bit of his earlier bravado and managed to respond to the frightening force of raw power that was hovering before him.

"Laws of ownership don't apply to _dead_ men, _Dimentio_." He snarled back, though the attempt sounded weak even to him.

Dr. Luigi wanted to leash out at him, at his words. To scream that the younger Mario brother is not a possession to be tossed around between super-villains.

But that would only make the situation they're in, _worse_.

He couldn't _possibly_ take on _both_ supervillains at _once_ , he's not that strong, not that powerful…

Not that _brave_.

He's _just_ a _doctor_.

A man of _healing_ , not _destruction_.

He wasn't taught to use his craft _against_ people, to make them _suffer_ instead of _healing_ them.

Even when his friends needed it the most…

He's _just_ a _doctor_.

He may be able to _rid_ people of deadly diseases and bleeding wounds…

…but he can't _protect_ them from being hurt in the first place.

He's _just_ a _doctor_.

* * *

None of the two villains noticed how the third embodiment of Luigi's subconscious bit his lip and wordlessly continued with his efforts to keep Dreamy breathing.

They were far to engaged with their little squabble.

"My _dear_ , 'Tasma." Dimentio giggled hysterically. "I thought you _knew_ that ' _Death_ ' is _just_ a point of view." He then floated a bit closer to the other villain, a few more steps and he'll be entering the Bat King's personal space. "I might have been _thought_ as 'un-alived' by those that _seemingly_ saw me perish that one _faithful_ day, but I never really died _per-se._ I was still _here…_ festering on little Weegee's secrets and doubts, even though _you_ couldn't see nor feel me. Luigi did, though. He _knew_ I was with him _all along_ , the smart boy." He then laughed again, his sharp teeth gleaming in the shadows. "I was just… _gone_ for a moment, on _sick_ leave, if you _must_. Until you did the _stupidest_ thing you _could have_ done and brought. Me. Back!"

"This changes _nothing_." The Shadow King hissed, levitating himself upwards by commanding the gravity of the palace to lessen, as only he now could. "Your return, however surprising, will not _hinder_ my return to glory! I will _not_ allow it!" Antasma then fixed his opponent with his most challenging glare. "If I must stand against you and your dark powers to achieve my ultimate goal, then so be it. But I will _not_ cover before you like a dog with its tail between its legs!"

Hearing this surprising speech most would look upon his/her challenger with adoration and respect, for his bravery.

But Dimentio was _not_ your _typical_ enemy.

He just looked at Antasma with a hungry grin that suggested he's been waiting for this opportunity for _years_.

" _Silly_ , 'Tasma." Dimentio shook his finger at the Bat King like a teacher does to a naughty brat in their class. "You _really_ think you're the _Top Dog_ here?" Still grinning like the insane jester that he is, the man in Mr.L's skin slowly advanced on the dark King of Bats. "Why do you _think_ Luigi _never_ asked those manifestations of his, Doc over there and Mr.L, to help him fight you, even though he had _all those months_ to do so?" His grin widened with every word he spoke, his voice sounding more like that of a genius psychopath than of a crazed jester. "Why do you _think_ he _only used Dreamy Luigi_ , even though L was much more powerful and experienced in combat?" The bat king took an instinctive step back, wanting to make more room between himself and the lunatic before him. "Why do you _think_ he allowed himself to be your punching bag, even though in reality all he had to _do_ is call upon a _bit_ of the Chaos Heart's power, to get rid of you?"

In a blink of an eye the possessed Mr.L launched at the King of Bats and grabbed him by the throat, taking the ruler of Nightmares by surprise as he could do nothing against such speed.

"That's because, if he ever did that, the power of the cursed organ would _consume_ him and _I_ would return as the rightful bringer of the world's destruction." The jester's smile widened to an impossible length, getting creepier by the minute, as Antasma's fear grew at just as steady a rate.

"So you see, _Fool._ " Dimentio whispered to the other man's ear. "Luigi wasn't _fighting_ you. He was trying to _protect_ you."

"For he knew, _I_ will have _no_ such mercy."

* * *

Mario dreamt about being a plumber and repeating Peach's leaking pipe in the castle's kitchen.

In the dream, no matter what he did, the darn pipe wouldn't stop leaking water.

Just as he was going to assault the unlucky sink with his shoe, Mario realized that…the dripping sound didn't really come from inside the dream at all.

It came from the _outside_ of his mind.

From the _real_ world.

When the red clad plumber opened his eyes he also discovered _another_ surprising thing.

The thing that was leaking wasn't a _sink_.

It was _Luigi_.

And the thing dripping wasn't _water_.

It was _blood_.

* * *

AN: Hi, guys! Sorry for the wait! I had a busy time with all the other fics I started and the plot bunny for this one kinda ran away…but its back now so, enjoy! :D


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